WHY SOME SONGS NEVER GET AIRPLAY "PART 1 & 2" BY OLUTOLA OMONIYI (Head Praise World Team)
PART ONE
The fact that you are reading this post right now makes me wanna asuume you probably have interest in getting your songs played on Praiseworld Radio and other radio stations OR you maybe just wanna get some more information about how radio plugging works.
Over my years of experience as an upcoming artiste back in the day, a radio DJ and on air personality in several radio stations, blogger, music promoter and now Head of the Praiseworld Radio team, I have carefully observed some very simple (but sometimes overlooked) factors that make some songs get massive airplay, while some never find their way to the music library of the radio station in question.
For the first part of this letter, let’s discuss some basic fundamentals, just before we address the other tips in subsequent parts
Therefore, make sure the music you are putting out is of very good quality. DJs/OAPs love good music. Whatever the genre you choose, be the best at it.
2. TARGET AUDIENCE: Some songs may be good but not specifically air worthy. Don’t get confused. It’s quite easy to understand. As an artiste, you must have a target audience. What are you singing about? What category of people are you singing to? What class of people do you think will be able to comfortably relate with your song(s)?
The answer to these questions will guide you when writing your songs, and will help you determine what station to send your music to when produced, and what DJ/OAP to approach first. It is imperative you start from here. Once you succeed at this starting point, expanding to other stations and DJ/OAPs would be less a challenge.
3. GET A GOOD PRODUCER: Lots of amazing songs die before even getting out of the studio. The importance of quality production can never be overemphasized. You can play your part as an artiste excellently for all I care, as long as the production is wack, the song is wack. Sometimes, good production may cost you some bucks, but trust me, it is worth it if you mean real business.
Sometimes when artistes send in their MP3s or bring their CDs to me for airplay, I listen for about 30seconds and make a conclusion – Now that is where production speaks loudly. When it is properly mixed and mastered, it catches the ear of “radio”. Like I said earlier, DJs/OAPs love good music. If it is really good, it will be pretty hard to resist.
4. TAG YOUR SONGS PROPERLY: Now this is one major challenge our music department at Praiseworld Radio has faced with artistes since we started broadcast last month. How do you expect a song with tags like “Unknown Artiste”, “Unknown Album” or “Track 2” to get airplay? Ok, let’s assume it gets played, and a listener asks “Please Praiseworld Radio, who sang that song you just played, and what’s the name?” What do you suggest our response should be like? “Track 5 by Unknown Artiste”? lol. I’ll shed more light on this in Part 2
5. BRANDING – GET A GOOD ALBUM COVER ART: You must have heard the saying “It’s not about container, but the content” right? Yeah, that may be true. But what happens when people are not patient enough to see the content due to the very poor container carrying it? See your album cover art that way. It adds panache to your work.
A very well designed album art breeds prestige and class. Even when the content does not have the corresponding top notch quality, it at least seduces the OAP/DJto give it a listen (no pun intended), which is a good step in the right direction.
PART TWO
In part 1,
we discussed some basic reasons why some songs never make it to the
music library of radio stations. In this letter, I will like to get a
little more specific with some tricky tricks that will help you avoid
those minor but sensitive mistakes that sometimes mar your chances of
getting the airplay you desire.Just in case you haven’t read the Part 1, I suggest you CLICK HERE to do so, as this is a follow up to the five basic tips I explained there.
6. THROW IN YOUR BEST SONG FIRST: What really is the point in sending a radio station one of your “fair” songs for airplay when you have a much better one? Like really, what are you keeping the “good” one for? Some say they are keeping it for the full album, and I wonder to myself “who would care to give you a second listen chance, when the first was a disappointment?” Let’s put it this way – your first listen impression really matters.
Don’t push more than ONE SONG AT A TIME for promo. Pushing more than one song at a time distracts media focus and makes the promo effect watery. Make a strong debut. Push it. Brand it. Let the OAP/DJ know you for that one song. When you succeed with this, your second single will be anticipated by both the OAP/DJ and your new fans.
7. DON’T SEND BLANK MAILS: First, let me remind you that no matter how insignificant a radio station might be, there are probably tons of artistes sending their music works to it. This gives you an idea how many mails could be in that email box destination you are sending yours to. That said, I strongly advice – Do not send blank mails with attachments only. They do not command attention and they are very easy to ignore. Endeavour to send a short note containing some basic content along with your mail .
8. SEND YOUR SONGS AS FILES AND NOT LINKS: How will it feel airing a song with a foreign website address tag on it? If you ask me, I’ll say “Not professional”. Be aware that some songs are not only given airplay, but also featured on the music page of the radio station’s website (www.praiseworldradio.com/audio in this case). Therefore, do not send your song as a link from some other site. Should I be honest with you? No serious website is interested in publishing any multimedia content with a foreign website tag on it. They will rather you send directly to them so as to brand it to their taste.
Sending links of your song, bio, profile from other sources should be additional info, not the one and only source. Send your song directly as a file. It’s more professional that way. Better still, get a media kit!
9. SEND YOUR SONG IN MP3 FORMAT: Send your songs in MP3 format. That is a generally compatible format for most players. Sending your song in wma, wav, vlr or any other strange format would do you no good. Not every OAP/DJ will have that patience or time to do the conversion for you. It is advisable you play your part so well to an extent that all s/he will need do is download, listen….and “air-Play”
<<<*whispering* Now let me share two more quick tips, just before I wrap up>>>
GET SOCIAL!!!
10. GET A TWITTER ACCOUNT: Now this is for those who don’t have twitter accounts already. *pauses* But seriously, why don’t you have a twitter account? You are an entertainer. You are a celebrity to be. You are someone’s mentor. You are also someone's prodigy, someone who is also very likely on Twitter. The radio station you want airplay from is on Twitter. The DJ or OAP you are trying to get across to is on Twitter. Again I ask, WHY ARE YOU NOT ON TWITTER?!
Make sure you get a twitter account immediately you’re done reading this letter, by simply CLICKING HERE. Follow the right people, get active and interactive. Follow the radio station, DJ and OAP, get involved in their shows, become much intimated with the radio station till you become ‘family’. This is what we mean by being “social”. Some multi million dollar deals are sealed over a drink, a game or dinner. Be smart.
But NOTE: Don’t choke the DJ/OAP. Choking him/her won’t get you airplay; instead it could cause a counter effect.
11. ATTEND EVENTS: I’m sure you are aware of the fact that there are lots of gospel entertainment events that take place from time to time in Nigeria. I should be right to assume you intend performing on some of those platforms in the near future, so why in the world are you not there watching others do what you’ll be doing soon? Asides from the fact that you get to learn a whole lot, you also stand a chance to expand your network.
Attending gospel entertainment events gives room for you to meet several other artistes, producers and other entertainers like yourself. Who knows, you could get to meet a big artiste who will someday feature on your track, whose leverage you can take advantage of. You could also meet some of these DJs/OAPs, start and develop a relationship with them. This goes a long way.
A very good example of such events is GOSPEL NIGHT LIVE which holds every last Thursday of the month at Rodizzio Hall, GRA, Ikeja. We also have CLUB 23 that takes place at Oriental Hotel, Lekki every last Friday of the month. Guess what? Admission to both events is absolutely FREE. And there are several others. Stick around to Praiseworld Radio not to ever miss any gospel event ever again.
Finally, ALWAYS remember The GOD Factor. Paul can do all the planting, Apollo the watering, but it is only GOD that is capable of giving the increase (I Corinthians 3:6-7). May God cause the work of your hand to prosper in the name of His precious Son Jesus. I sincerely wish you the best in your music career and ministry, so you can be a blessing to the world at large.
God Bless You
Best Regards,
Olutola Omoniyi
Head, Praiseworld Radio
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